Hungary Population 2023 (Live)

According to current projections, Hungary’s population is expected to continue declining for the remainder of the century and end up at 6.87 million people by the end of 2099. Hungary’s population as of 2020 is 9.66 million.

Hungary’s population has been decreasing at a rate between 0.23% and 0.30% in the past five years. From 2019 to 2020, the population decreased by 0.25% or about 24,000 people. Hungary’s fertility rate is the primary cause of the population shrinking at only 1.49 births per woman. This has caused not only the population to shrink, but also the median age to increase to 43.3 years.

Despite the government’s efforts, the population decline shows no signs of slowing down. In addition to families having fewer babies, large numbers of Hungarians are leaving the country, including a large percentage of Hungarian women of childbearing age.

Hungary Population Growth

Hungary's birth rate has fallen tremendously over the last few decades, and it's now one of the lowest in the Eastern Hemisphere at 9.02 births/1,000 population. This is mostly attributed to unrestricted access to abortion and the widespread use of contraceptives estimated at 79% among the female population.

Hungary Population Projections

The dramatic population shifts and massive influxes of immigrants are expected to stabilize, and even slow, in the years to come. The annual growth rate as of 2019 was 1.68%. Predictions say that this rate will peak in 2020 around 2.2% before slowing down towards 1% annually in 2050. It may seem as though this decrease wouldn't be desirable, but it is much more stable than the volatility of the past. The same projections say that the population of Hungary will be 10,208,662 in 2020, 11,122,063 in 2030, 12,679,815 in 2040, and 14,187,734 in 2050.

Hungary Area and Population Density

The country of Hungary has 93,028 square kilometers to fill, and it has a population density of approximately 104 people per square kilometer. This gives it a ranking of 103rd in population density, and a ranking of and 110th in area. The present-day borders of the country were established after World War I which caused Hungary to lose 71% of its area and 58% of its population, including one-third of its ethnic Hungarians.

Largest Cities in Hungary

The capital and largest city of Hungary is Budapest, which is also one of the European Union's largest cities. Budapest has an estimated population of 1.74 million, down from its peak of 2.1 million in 1989, due to its growing suburbs. The larger Budapest Metropolitan Area has a population of 3.3 million people. Budapest is often called one of Europe's most beautiful cities and it's home to the largest thermal water cave system in the world. More than 4.4 million people visit Budapest each year, which makes it Europe's 6th most popular city.

Hungary is a small landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe. Hungary is bordered by Austria, Ukraine, Slovenia, Croatia, Romania, Serbia, and Slovakia. The nation has a very long history and it now enjoys a high-income economy and a robust tourism industry.

Like many countries in the European Union, Hungary is facing a demographic crisis with a population that is slowly contracting. Hungary has the second-worst negative growth among EU countries.

Hungary Demographics

Hungary has been inhabited by many people over its long history, including the Celts, Romans, Slavs, Huns, Avars, and Gepids. Today, ethnic Hungarians account for the largest ethnicity at 84% of the population, followed by Romani (3%), Germans (1%), Slovaks (0.3%), Romanians (0.3%), and Croats (0.2%). Almost 15% of the population did not declare an ethnicity at the 2011 census.

The official language used in Hungary is Hungarian, with additional use of English at 16%, German at 11.2%, Russian at 1.6%, Romanian at 1.3%, French at 1.2%, and other at 4.2% in use among the population as well.

Hungary Religion, Economy and Politics

Christianity is the most common religion in Hungary, although it has no official religion. Most Hungarians became Lutherans following the 16th century, then the country turned largely to Calvinism. Hungary was home to a large Jewish population at one time. While some Hungarian Jews escaped the Holocaust, up to 550,000 were deported to concentration camps or murdered in the country. Budapest remains the center of Hungary's Jewish population today.

Life expectancy is fairly high at 76.1 years being the average among the total population as of 2018. There is virtually no struggle in accessing clean drinking water or improved sanitation here, with only 2% of the population struggling with access the latter need.

In addition, the World Happiness Report gives a ranking of 69 out of the total participating countries. The rating given in 2018 comes to 5.62 out of 10 possible points. This report takes a variety of factors into consideration when evaluating overall happiness, including GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity, and perceptions of deception.

Hungary Population History

The Hungarian population has experienced significant changes in the last century that can be attributed to two world wars, the Treaty of Trianon, emigration, and immigration among other things.

During World War I, child conception declined due to men being at war and women entering the workforce. Following World War I, Hungary lost two-thirds of its land and almost 10 million people through the Treaty of Trianon. Hungarians suffered a collective psyche called “Trianon Syndrome,” which was widespread until 1945 when the Soviet Union took control of Hungary after World War II. During World War II, Hungary suffered a population loss, losing about 300,000 soldiers and about 600,000 civilians (200,000 of which were Holocaust victims).

Hungary’s population hit its peak in 1980 at about 10.71 million people. Since then, the population has declined steadily every year. It is predicted that if Hungary’s negative trend continues, the population will be below 6 million by 2070.